Our History

On June 8, 2011, the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan H.E. Nursultan Nazarbayev announced the need for a specialized food security entity within the OIC at the 7th session of the World Islamic Economic Forum in Astana. At the 38th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of OIC, he mentioned it again and suggested locating the headquarters in Kazakhstan, a food-producing and exporting state.

This idea was very timely, considering the relevance of food insecurity and hunger in many Islamic countries. In his address to the participants of the Inaugural General Assembly of IOFS in Astana (April 2016), the Leader of the Nation noted that the Muslim world must not stay aside from the agricultural development and global efforts to eradicate hunger.

At the high-level forum on “Sustainable Development under the UN General Assembly” in 2019, the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev pointed out the importance of the goals of the Islamic Organization for Food Security, which are aimed at solving the problems of desertification, deforestation, erosion, salinization, and social insecurity. He expressed hope that all 57 OIC member states will join this initiative in near future.

In September 2020, on the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev noted the role of the IOFS in humanitarian aid: «The next 10 years are critical for our generation. The fundamental goal – the complete eradication of hunger across the globe must be achieved unconditionally. In this regard, we note the importance of convening the Food Systems Summit in 2021. The Islamic Organization for Food Security is willing to provide comprehensive support for the development of food reserves and implementation of a large-scale international humanitarian campaign».